La'Keisha Sutton (born November 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player, coach, author, and entrepreneur known for her role as one of the few women to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. She played four seasons of college basketball for the University of South Carolina under coach Dawn Staley before playing professional basketball overseas and joining the Harlem Globetrotters.
Sutton was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey.[1] She grew up in Roger Gardens and Prospect Village, near where she played basketball as a kid at the West Ward Recreation Center. During middle school, she earned a scholarship to attend Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, NJ.[2] She went on to attend the University of South Carolina from 2008 to 2012, where she majored in Broadcast Communications and later applied those skills to her brand and storytelling work.[3]
High school career
At Trenton Catholic Academy, Sutton was coached by Khaliq Lewis El. In her senior year, she was awarded as New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, Trenton Times Player of the Year, and Trentonian Player of the Year, while averaging 19.6 points per game. She was a four-time all-county first-team selection and twice earned All-State honors from the Associated Press. She was named MVP of the 2008 New Jersey State Championship game after leading her team to its second-consecutive title.[4] Over her career, she scored 1,990 points.[5][6]
College career
At South Carolina, she was a consistent contributor across her four seasons. She was a unanimous selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team during her freshmen season.[7] Sutton was also Dawn Staley's first South Carolina Gamecock recruit in 2008 where she helped lead South Carolina to their first ever Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.[8][1] In her senior year (2011-12), she was named second-team All-SEC, and made the SEC All-Defensive team.[9] She earned honorable mention All-SEC from the Associated Press. During that season, she led the team in assists and had multiple 20+ point games. Over her tenure, she became the 11th player in program history to record at least 300 assists and 1,000 points. She scored nearly 1,300 points over her four-year career and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Broadcast Communications.[10] She earned the nickname Fan Favorite in college.[11] Upon leaving college she became a WNBA prospect.[12]
SOUTH CAROLINA STATISTICS
Season
G
FGM
FGA
FTM
FTA
3PM
3PA
REB
AST
STL
BL
PTS
AVG
2008-09
28
108
263
77
114
15
36
56
68
36
5
308
11.0
2009-10
29
109
273
49
86
15
37
68
74
25
4
282
9.7
2010-11
33
128
314
68
112
13
55
88
118
47
4
337
10.2
2011-12
32
122
327
68
89
24
88
91
84
40
9
336
10.5
TOTALS
122
467
1177
262
401
67
216
303
344
148
22
1263
10.4
Professional basketball career
After college, Sutton played professional overseas in Taiwan, Finland, Ecuador, Germany, and Bulgaria before joining the Harlem Globetrotters in 2018, and adopting the nickname "Swish".[13] With the Globetrotters, she traveled extensively (to all 50 U.S. states and various countries) and was one of a small number of women to perform in the show.[6][14]
“I come from the projects,” she said. “I used this basketball to take me all over the world.” -La'Keisha Sutton[15]
As a Globetrotter she traveled all over the world playing and doing media and community work in schools across the country educating students and teachers about the infamous Globetrotter pre-game tradition of the "Magic Circle", demonstrating ball-handling tricks to the tune of "Sweet Georgia Brown". She is one of the relatively few female players to perform with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, and is credited as the first woman from New Jersey to do so.[16][17][18][19][20][21][15]
“It was an honor to be a part of the Globetrotters,” Sutton says. “Even though there will be many more women to wear that jersey, I’ll always be proud to be the first one from New Jersey.” - La'Keisha Sutton[22]
Coaching, mentorship, and youth development
Sutton has taken on leadership roles off the court as well. She has served as Camp Director and coach through Nike Basketball Camps.[23] She is Head Coach of the varsity girls' basketball team at the George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania.[24], where in her second coaching season she was praised for her credentials and connection to the local youth basketball scene.[6]
"It’s a great feeling because when I look at some of these kids, they remind me of myself,” she said. “When I think of how much patience coach Khaliq Lewis-El and coach Mel Weldon and people that came into my life to have had to even work with me and my teammates, everything I learned, everything I’m still learning, I want to share with them at an early age. And then you add the things I learned here from coach Staley and I’m teaching all of that to the 10- and 11-year-olds. Even if they don’t understand it now, they’ll be thinking about it.
She has also served as the Director of Recreation Basketball Programming for the City of Trenton.[25]
Sutton is the author of From The Projects To Fan Favorite: Made In Trenton.[13][1]
Community outreach and philanthropy
Beyond playing, Sutton founded the Fan Favorite Club, a basketball training and community development brand, serving as CEO.[27] She has also worked as a coach and mentor, including a role as Varsity Girls Head Basketball Coach at George School.[28] Sutton authored a book titled From the Projects to Fan Favorite, aimed at youth empowerment.[29]
She is deeply tied to her hometown of Trenton, where she has been active in community outreach - hosting youth basketball tournaments, donating basketballs to the West Ward Center, and promoting positive development through sport. [30][21]
Personal life
Sutton maintains a presence of social media under the handle @fanfavorite11.[31]
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